How many times did you find yourself running late to a webinar or missing it altogether? You are not alone: on average, only around 40-50% of people registered for a webinar actually end up attending it.
And, if you are on the other side of the aisle hosting the sessions, you have probably felt disappointed when you realized that almost half of your registered attendees found something better to do.
The good news is that video recording platforms like Riverside provide a more flexible approach to sharing video content. In this article, we are going to talk about how to record a webinar to create evergreen video content that is worth replaying.
Best Practices to Prepare for the Webinar (Before and During the Session)
To get your webinar out of the mediocre and forgettable zone, make sure to invest sufficient time and effort into proper preparation and follow these best practices:
- Understand how your platform works! Take the time to explore the features of your platform of choice and even do a dry run of the webinar.
- Check your internet speed and connection. You don’t want to get kicked out of your own webinar. Make sure that your internet connection is stable. Switching to a wired connection of 3MBPS upload internet speed or more is a good idea.
- Prepare a way to gather emails. Think about how you are going to collect webinar registrations. You can promote your session through a series of blog posts, use ads on social media platforms, or ask your current subscribers to re-share their invitations.
- Use a script that includes what you’re selling. Make sure that your audience knows what next step you want them to take. In your script, include a call-to-action that is easy to understand and aims to solve a particular pain point your audience might be facing.
- Optimize for engagement (could be active or passive). Plan how you are going to keep your audience engaged. Examples: you can include a Question & Answer section at the end of your session or incorporate polls and surveys throughout the session.
- Plan everything. To run a successful webinar, preparation is key. Devise a rough script that includes call-to-actions for selling. Plan for everything you can think of - from the topic to the device and platform you are going to use, to who your audience members will be.
How to Record a Webinar on Mac or Windows: Riverside Step-by-Step Guide
With Riverside.fm, recording a high-quality webinar is easier than ever. Follow these simple steps to produce high-quality recordings:
1. Register with Riverside
Create an account with Riverside, you can start off with the free plan to try out the platform.
2. Create a Reusable Studio
Click on “Create a new (reusable) studio.” Here, you can give your studio a title and choose what type of recording you are going to use. Importantly, you can schedule your session and invite guests through a convenient calendar invite with instructions to join the show when the time comes. Of course, for webinars, select Audio & video as your recording type.
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Finally, click on the “Create Show” button to get started.
3. Choose Your Recording Settings and Set Up your Stream
Next, you need to make sure that you have the right settings for a successful session.
You can set up your preferred webinar video recording resolution, audio sample rate, or Dropbox integrations.
We also recommend choosing which platforms you’d like to push your live webinar to. You can push a live stream to platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and more through a customized RTMP stream key.
4. Invite Guests and Participants
Once you're done adjusting recording settings, you can invite guests if you haven't already, but note that you can also do this once you're in the studio.
Simply go to the Schedule and Invite Guests section in your settings and select to either ‘Schedule’ a recording in advance or ‘Invite’ participants.
You can also invite audience members. Audience members can watch your webinar without being recorded, you can also invite them for a video live call throughout your webinar.
5. Start the Webinar
Click on the “Go to studio” button in the top-right corner of the screen.
Enter your name, indicate whether or not you will be using headphones, and, hit the "Join Studio" button to start the session.
6. Start Recording
Click Record. For longer sessions, you can stop at any time to take breaks and continue the session afterward.
Note that you can use the ‘Share’ button to record and share your screen, and you can also use the Media Board to add live effects into your webinar recording.
7. Download the Recordings
Once you’re done recording, wait for your recordings to upload, and then hit the "View Recordings" button located in the right tab of your studio screen. Select your recording take and click on “Download tracks” to download the webinar or click on “Edit & export” to obtain customize and fine-tune your recording before sharing.
How to record a webinar on Android or iPhone
The great thing about Riverside is that it’s available on all devices including mobile phones and tablets. No matter if you’re an Android or iOS user, you can try Riverside’s mobile app.
The process for recording a webinar is similar to the instructions above, but we’ll summarize for you. Follow these steps to record a webinar on an Android or iOS device:
Step 1: Download the Riverside mobile app and log in.
Step 2: Press the ‘+’ button to create a new studio or select an existing one.
Step 3: Select the three dots next to your studio title, to invite participants or edit your studio.
Step 4: Click on your Studio to enter your recording. Enter your name and then select ‘Next’ to test your camera and microphone. When you are ready click ‘Join’.
Step 5: Press the red button to start recording your webinar.
Step 6: When you are done, stop the recording and wait for your files to upload. You’ll be able to access all your tracks on the Riverside.fm desktop site.
How to record an online webinar as an attendee
If you’re a webinar attendant, you might be interested in recording the webinar for later use. A lot of the time webinar hosts will send you recordings afterward, but if they don’t there are ways around this.
You can follow these steps to record a webinar as an attendee with screen capturing software:
Step 1: Download a reliable screen recorder. We recommend screen recording software that captures at least 720p HD resolution.
Step 2: Set up your recording to capture the right window. This might involve sharing your screen on your recording platform, or adjusting settings so your software captures the right window.
Step 3: Start recording the webinar you are attending. Remember to start recording before the webinar starts so you don’t miss out on anything. We also suggest you make sure you have permission to record to abide by privacy rights.
Step 4: Download your webinar recordings. Once you are done recording, you can adjust and edit your recordings using editing tools and software, or if it’s just for personal use you can download your webinar recording as it is.
Note: The steps above might be different based on the software you’re using, especially in terms of setup. If you’re wondering how to record a webinar as a participant on Riverside, you can check out how to use our screen recording feature.
What to Do After the Webinar
- Download the session. Download the session and re-watch the finished product several times to take notes of what needs improvement. Look out for things like technical issues, attendee engagement levels, your speech, or any audience questions that were left unanswered.
- Cut content into bite-sized pieces for distribution. Split your high-quality video recording into several smaller segments to be shared on social media or distributed to your email list. (You can do this easily with Riverside's Magic Clips)
- Send a thank-you email. Send a thank-you email within 24 hours after the webinar and try to address your attendees by their names whenever possible.
- Post-webinar survey. Send out a survey to session attendees to determine what they valued the most and what aspects of the session needed improvement.
- Prepare a blog post. Create a webinar-based blog post and include the presentation deck slides from your webinar to keep the audience interested and attract new attendees. We recommend downloading transcriptions of your webinar to make this easier.
- Get ready for the next webinar. Take a break to have some rest and come up with a new webinar idea. Think about the new topic, your email campaign strategy, and a promotion plan.
How to Choose Your Webinar Platform
Choosing the right webinar platform is the first step in the direction of planning a successful session. Here are a few things to consider when selecting the platform:
- Budget. To maximize ROI, you might opt for a platform that is available at a lower cost. That said, try not to compromise on key features, such as being able to record your webinars at a high quality.
- Audio and video quality. Look for a platform that offers video and audio in HD quality and make sure that the live stream doesn’t lag.
- Session recording. Recording your sessions and sharing them on social media is an excellent way to increase the reach and life of your webinar - so go for a tool that enables session recordings. Riverside does local recordings, which means that you get high-quality recordings even when your computer crashes or your internet is slow.
- Distributing the webinar. Ideally, your platform must have a shareable link to the webinar that you can share via email and social media websites.
- Engagement and interactive features. Look for an option that enables participants to interact with fellow attendees, ask questions, or cheer for the speaker. For example, Riverside allows participants to listen and interact in real-time, while you record.
- Usability. In general, the more intuitive the webinar software is to operate, the fewer technical issues you are likely to encounter while recording.
- Limit of guests and audience. Think about your audience size and the number of invited guests and make sure that your chosen platform meets the requirements.
Webinar Platforms to Consider
When choosing your ideal webinar platform, take the time to research and consider these popular options:
- Riverside.fm is an online audio and video-recording platform that allows running and recording webinars in 4K video quality directly from your browser. The platform is perfect for video creators looking to record studio-quality webinars and remote interviews in the comfort of their homes and offices.
- Webex is a tool that allows users to host or participate in online meetings, video conferencing, and screen sharing. Webex is best for webinar creators and companies with a larger audience, as the platform allows up to 1,000 participants.
- Zoom is a cloud-based app for video communications that allows you to set up webinars, video and audio conferences and virtual meetings, screen recordings, and more. That said, Zoom Video Webinar is sold as a separate license to Zoom’s core plans, so this may end up being too costly for you.
- Demio is a webinar platform created for marketing campaigns and live events. It is best for marketing teams looking to access a wider audience or generate more leads.
- Livestorm is a browser-based platform that allows you to host live or pre-recorded webinars. It is ideal for businesses looking for an easier way to plan, promote, and analyze online events.
FAQs on How To Record a Webinar
Can a webinar be recorded?
Yes, a webinar can easily be recorded if you are using the right software. With Riverside, you can locally record a webinar so that not even faulty internet connection can get in the way of high-quality recordings.
How can I record a webinar for free?
You can find free webinar recording software to easily record a webinar for free. Another option is to download a free screen recorder, like OBS, and record your screen as your webinar happens live. You might not get the best quality and features in this way and it might be better off to invest in a specialized webinar recording platform.
How do I record a webinar session?
Above, in this article, we cover how to easily record a webinar session with Riverside. All you have to do is open and set up a recording studio, invite some participants and then you can start recording your webinar live. Once you’re done you can download the separate recording tracks of your webinar and repurpose them however you want.
Run and Record Webinars in 4K Video Quality with Riverside.fm
Without a doubt, webinars present a valuable opportunity to diversify the content you offer and expand your audience reach. Recorded ones are great for extended lifetime value and accessibility, as they can generate leads long after the initial recording is produced.
When choosing the right video recording platform, video quality should be the top priority. Luckily, with Riverside, you can produce studio-quality recordings from the comfort of your own home and easily share them with your audience. Start for free today.
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